Slip of the Tongue
by dcj
Summary: Someone blurts out something without thinking, and then it's too late to take it back whether they want to or not.
1. Chapter 1

I have a bunch of one-shot ideas sitting on my computer so I thought I'd try and see if I could pump some of them out before I try another multi-chapter fic. I hope you like this one.

Almost forgot...I own nothing Rookie Blue.

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><p>"Sam Swarek if I didn't love you so much I would probably hate you right now."<p>

Andy was livid. She and Sam had had a huge disagreement at work and she was hoping to leave it all behind and enjoy her night at the Penny, but he just couldn't let it go. He thought she had put herself in unnecessary danger when she knew that she had done nothing that he would not have done himself. And she hated double standards.

She had been sitting happily with Traci and Noelle when he came in to the bar. An hour earlier at the end of shift, she had finally just walked away from him, but apparently he wasn't done. The door had barely closed before he came right over and started in on her again.

And that's when she had let him have it. She did her best not to make a scene and draw attention to their argument, but he was making it almost impossible for her to keep her cool. She had stood up to her tallest height so that she was looking slightly down at him; she looked him straight in the eye and spoke the words quietly through her teeth. And then she walked away for the second time that day.

Without a look back and without fully realizing what she had said, she turned and moved to the other side of the bar to join Dov and Chris.

Sam just stood there dumbfounded staring after her, his eyes widened and his mouth agape. He couldn't believe that she had just said those words. Of course he had dreamt about it for months now, but he was expecting it to be a lot more intimate and romantic when she finally told him. But still she said it and she obviously felt it…strongly.

"Swarek." Noelle called.

After getting no response, she tried again; this time nudging him with her elbow a little. "Swarek."

"Huh?" Sam shook his head, trying to break himself out of the haze of thoughts.

Noelle couldn't believe he didn't react to the bombshell McNally had just dropped. "Are you just going to stand there?"

She knew how Sam felt; it was obvious to everyone that he was head over heels for McNally. The worst part was that everyone knew that Andy felt the same way and they couldn't for the life of them figure out why one or the other didn't make a move, especially Andy. Why she was still with Callaghan when she so obviously wanted Sam was a complete mystery.

"Did you even hear what she said?" Noelle asked.

"Yeah." _Oh he heard her, every single word of it._

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"Aren't you going to go after her?"

"He can't." Traci disputed.

"Why the hell not?" Noelle couldn't believe either one of them. "She just said she loved him." As far as she was concerned, this was not something you just brushed aside.

"I don't think she knows she said it." Traci explained.

"How can she not know?" Noelle wondered.

"Because she was cornered and she didn't like it one bit. And when Andy's mad and she feels like her back's against the wall, she just reacts. She doesn't think about it; she strikes back. Look at her over there; she's fuming." Traci pointed out. "But the key is that she's still here"

"If she realized that she had just confessed to loving Sam, she would have been out the door before we even had a chance to register it. She won't even admit it to herself let alone Sam because she doesn't like being open to hurt. If she had any idea that she had just revealed her deepest secret, there's no way she would stick around. The only thing she would hate more than being vulnerable, would be everyone seeing her like that. "

"What do you mean her deepest secret?" Sam asked, having followed the back and forth between the two women. "Did you know?"

"Of course." Traci confirmed.

Noelle was shocked. For a great cop, Sam could be pretty oblivious when it came to McNally. "Please don't tell me that you didn't." Noelle begged.

He didn't think he did. I mean sure he knew there was something there, but when she went back to Callaghan time and again, he kept telling himself he was just trying to see what he wanted to see.

"C'mon Noelle we have to talk to her." Traci decided.

"No way." Noelle refused. "I'm not getting into the middle of this."

"I'm going." Sam declared; he had made up his mind. He wasn't going to let her go back to Callaghan after that.

"But, you can't." Traci argued, trying to discourage him. She knew that confronting an angry Andy McNally was not the way to go.

Sam lowered his chin and glared at her, basically daring her to even try and stop him.

Traci was pretty sure that no one had the ability to stop Sam Swarek when his mind was made up, and she wasn't about to test that theory. She simply stepped aside and gestured him forward.

Sam took his time as he made his way to the other side of the bar and approached his partner. "Andy?"

Her first instinct was warmth at his use of her first name, but she still hadn't let go of her anger. "Sam, I can't even talk to you right now."

"Please Andy."

_Again with the first name, boy he was really trying to suck up._ "Did you not hear a word I said over there?"

Sam smirked, his eyes dancing. "I heard every word you said."

Andy couldn't believe he had the nerve to grin like that when he knew she was beyond angry. "Then why are you grinning like an idiot. Surely, you must realize that you're not exactly my favorite person right about now."

Sam's smile just got bigger and he was unable to stop the dimples from making an appearance. "I think you might be a little confused on that issue."

Andy glared at him before taking a deep breath; he could tell he was in for a real go round. But he was more than willing to take whatever she dished out, especially if it got her to recognize what she was feeling.

Unfortunately, Luke chose that very moment to show up. _Damn him. When Andy needs him, he's never there but when I don't want him, he always manages to show up and ruin everything._ But for some reason, Sam wasn't as bothered as he usually was. Maybe it was because he was finally certain that the golden boy's time was almost up.

"Luke." Sam acknowledged, addressing him civilly.

"Swarek." Luke responded suspiciously. _Why was he being so polite?_

"Big plans tonight?" Sam asked sweetly…expecting that something big was definitely going to go down.

Luke was still leery and exchanged a look of confusion with Andy. "I'm taking Andy out to dinner why?"

"Sounds nice; I hope you two have a great time."

Sam was trying hard not to laugh as both Andy and Luke were looking at him like he'd lost his mind. He knew what they were thinking; he had never made a secret of his dislike for Luke. And it had only gotten worse when Luke started dating Andy; Sam knew he was never nice to the man. And that made it even more fun because they had no idea why he was being so gracious.

"Thanks. Are you ready to go?" Luke asked, anxious to get out of this seemingly alternate reality.

"Sure." Andy agreed, getting up. She followed Luke to the exit, but not before taking a questioning look back at Sam. He just smiled and waved as she walked out the door.

He chuckled to himself as he walked back to Noelle and Traci.

"How could you let her leave with Luke?" Noelle pressed, clearly confused.

"Traci's right; she has no idea what she said, but I have a feeling it's only a matter of time." He predicted confidently. "I know McNally and she can't let something like this go. But she can't keep it inside either. She'll have to seethe and complain about how mad she is at me. And if Callaghan takes the bait, he'll ask her what happened. When she finally has to think about it, she'll remember."

Sam wasn't generally a patient man, but he knew there was nothing for him to do. It was only a matter of time now, and knowing that his wait was almost over definitely made it easier.

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><p>Andy and Luke had just sat down at the restaurant, with Luke ordering them each a drink. Andy had not said a word to him the entire way over, instead muttering under her breath every few minutes. Finally, Luke couldn't take it anymore; this was their date and he was tired of Swarek occupying her thoughts yet again. "What the hell did he do? Why are you so angry?"<p>

The words started pouring out of her mouth. "Sam Swarek has got to be the most infuriating man in the world. Who does he think he is? I was only doing what he taught me. Why is it ok for him and not for me?"

She took a quick breath and continued. "And then, not only did he drive me crazy all day, but he can't even let me relax at the Penny. Nooo…he has to come in there and try and assert his authority after hours too. He got off easy as far as I'm concerned."

She wasn't even really making sense, or at least Luke was having trouble following her train of thought.

"What do you mean he got off easy? What did you do?" Luke was a little worried; Sam was still her superior officer and he didn't like to be pushed.

Andy got frustrated with Sam a lot, but he didn't think he'd ever seen her this angry. Luke didn't think Sam would hold a grudge, but he didn't know what happened. And really, Sam actually seemed like he was in a pretty good mood when Luke left; it couldn't have been that bad.

"I told him I hated him." She stated.

"What?" Luke was surprised it could be that simple; though he was hopeful, too. Maybe Sam had finally pushed her too far, and they could get past her school girl crush on her former TO.

"Yep…I looked him straight in the eye and I said 'Sam Swarek'…" _Holy crap, what did I say?_

Luke saw the color drain out of Andy's face as a look of complete horror crossed over it. He couldn't believe she would have the guts so say anything to Swarek that would cause that kind of reaction. "What's the matter?"

Andy started to cry, realizing that in the heat of the moment she had finally admitted the truth…a truth that she had been afraid to acknowledge to anyone including herself. But it was out there now; she couldn't take it back. And if she was capable of being truly honest with herself, she didn't want to take it back.

"I can't do this anymore." She whispered through her tears.

"What do you mean?" Luke asked, again not following her. _Does she mean she can't do the job anymore? Can't work with Swarek anymore? What?  
><em>

"Luke, I wanted us to work but…it's not."

_Oh._ "Why, Andy, what's not working?"

"I mean…you're a great guy...you are. You're sweet…and I care about you…but it's not enough."

He was pretty sure there was more to it than that though. He had a feeling it was something, or more like someone, that was holding her back. "It's Swarek isn't it?"

"Yes." She confessed, looking down at her hands.

"You don't hate him." It wasn't a question; it was a statement of a fact that he knew to be true. But he too had been trying not to face it.

"No."

"Do you love him?"

She couldn't lie to anyone anymore. "I think I do, Luke. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for it to happen; it just…did."

Luke nodded his head. "I knew you had feelings for him, Andy; I guess I just thought it was a crush and I hoped you'd get over it."

Andy had often wondered that herself, but the more time she spent with Sam the harder she fell. "I really don't think that's going to happen, Luke. I'm sorry."

"It's ok, Andy." And he was surprised to find that it was. "I'm sad, but I'm not devastated. I think that just tells me that I already knew it was inevitable."

She finally dared to look at him again and she was relieved to see that he wasn't just saying that to make her feel better; he looked like he truly meant it. Unfortunately, that didn't make it any less awkward. "I'm not really hungry anymore." Luke stated. "Do you mind if I just take you home?"

"Of course not." Andy agreed quickly. It was over now; why drag it out? There was nothing more to say and trying to fill a couple of hours with meaningless conversation was something neither of them looked forward to.

After paying for their drinks, they left the restaurant and Luke dropped Andy off at home.

She changed into some comfortable shorts and a t-shirt before grabbing some leftovers out of the fridge to heat up. She had to laugh; she always had something ready in the fridge because she never knew when Luke was going to bail on her. It was kind of ironic that this time it was her bailing.

"Now what?" She asked herself as she sat down to eat.

She had told Sam - inadvertently of course, but still he obviously knew. She had admitted it to Luke too, and that meant she had to face it herself. But facing it wasn't the real issue; the real problem was that she didn't know if she had the guts to do anything about it.

_No wonder he was grinning like a jackass. Wait, he __**was**__ grinning like a jackass. But did he look like he was gloating? I don't think so. Was he happy? _

She was so full of questions, and emotions that had been suppressed for so long. She knew she had to do some serious thinking before she could face Sam. What would she say? What could she say? What would he do?

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><p>Luke headed back to the Penny, still unsure of what he was going to do or if he would say anything to Swarek at all. They had never gotten along, and he really didn't owe Swarek any kind of explanation. He still didn't even know what she actually said to Sam, but somehow he had a feeling that Sam knew. Sam had been way too happy and way to civil; he had to have known.<p>

Luke walked in and sat at the opposite end of the bar to Sam's table. He ordered his drink and waited patiently for it to come while he contemplated what he wanted to do if anything. It didn't take long for him to catch the attention of Traci and Noelle, who were facing the bar. They were both surprised to see him back so soon.

"Didn't he just leave with Andy?" Traci noted.

"Pretty short date if you ask me." Noelle commented. "And he doesn't look overly happy about it either."

Sam turned around to see for himself.

Luke looked up then to find all three of them staring at him, but he kept his eyes fixed on Sam. They exchanged a look and Sam knew right then that Andy had figured it out…and apparently she let Luke in on her secret as well. He was quite surprised to see that Luke didn't appear to be mad at him; he just looked resigned. _Perhaps Luke was more aware than he gave him credit for._

Sam turned back around and swallowed the last of his drink. He could wait until tomorrow, but this was not the type of conversation you saved for work. And truthfully, he knew that if he didn't go see Andy now he wouldn't get a minute of sleep. He bid the girls a quick goodnight and started heading for the door. He was surprised to feel someone grab his arm before he reached the exit, but he knew before he looked back that it would be Luke.

"Do you feel the same way?" Luke asked shortly. They may not be together anymore, but he still didn't want to see Andy to get hurt.

"Yes."

Luke nodded and let Sam go; nothing further needed to be said. He cared enough about Andy to want her to be happy, even if that meant she was with Swarek.

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><p>Andy was just cleaning up from supper and contemplating a nice hot bath to soothe her nerves and help her decide what to do with her new found awareness.<p>

She hung up the tea towel and started to make her way to the bathroom, when she heard a knock at her door. She had no idea who it could be; as far as everyone knew, she was on a date with her 'boyfriend'.

She looked through the peephole and was shocked to find Sam there. She tried to breathe normally, but the air just didn't seem to want to come into her lungs. What could she do? She still didn't think she was prepared to confront this just now, but she couldn't just leave him out there, not after what happened.

Sam felt helpless. He knew she was on the other side over thinking things and he was pretty sure she was in a panic the second she saw his face at her door. He was relieved when it started to open slowly, though it stopped at just a crack.

"Hey." Andy greeted from the doorway, blocking the small entrance.

"Hey."

There was no point in beating around the bush so she forced in a deep breath before speaking. "I'm not sure I'm ready to talk." Andy said, not moving from her spot or giving any indication to invite Sam inside.

But he didn't think he could wait and he was afraid of what might happen if they left it too long. He knew he couldn't push too hard or she'd pull the words and feelings right back into the vault. Still he had to go for it.

"You had a lot to say at the Penny." Sam reminded her as he held her gaze.

"Yeah…I'm still trying to wrap my head around that." She confessed before dropping her eyes. "I wasn't even ready to admit that to myself, let alone you."

"I know that, but I thought maybe I could help."

"How?" She wondered.

"I love you too, Andy."

She looked up from the ground and met his eyes again, surprised to see that everything she felt was mirrored in his eyes – the questions and the fears as well as the longing…and love. She wasn't facing it alone anymore.

She may not have it all figured out, but maybe they could do that together. She loved him and now she knew that he loved her back.

She opened the door fully without saying a word, and finally allowed herself to let him completely in…to her home and her heart.

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><p>A.N. I haven't marked this one as complete yet, because I have another one-shot that fits the title and summary; I'll likely add it as chapter 2.<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

This is another one-shot independent of the first one but still fits the title and description.

I had the 'slip of the tongue' right from the start, but the ending to this one almost drove me crazy. I've rewritten it at least 3 times; the first ended up being along the same lines as the last chapter of Running on Empty prompting the first rewrite. Another just didn't seem to want to flow to a satisfactory conclusion. Still not sure I'm 100% satisfied, but I found something I can live with and it's time to move on to the next one-shot.

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><p>It had been a crappy morning all the way around.<p>

Andy had made it in early for a change and she was happy that for once she wouldn't be running into parade at the last minute. But before she could reach the locker room, Luke had pulled her into his office. By the time she got out of there, her mood was spoiled and she was now running behind.

As Andy hurried to the locker room, she met up with Traci in a similar rush and equally foul mood. Apparently Dex had let her and Leo down once again, and she was now trying to convince herself that keeping Leo's family together was still the right thing to do. It was definitely getting to be a harder and harder task.

After Traci vented, it was Andy's turn to let loose. Evidently Luke decided it was time to go to the fishing cabin again and he wanted to go tomorrow night after work. Andy couldn't believe he would choose midweek to go again. What was wrong with waiting for a weekend when she was off? But she knew the answer to that…he rarely took a whole weekend off. Not that she really even wanted to make the trip at all.

As they finished getting dressed, Andy confessed to Traci that she didn't want to go, but she didn't know how to get out of it.

They both collapsed onto a bench with heavy sighs. "I think we both need to do some real soul searching Andy. Sometimes you do something for what you think are the right reasons, but it still doesn't end up being the right thing in the end. Why do we do keep doing this to ourselves when we're not happy?"

Andy didn't have an answer and before she could think of what to say; Noelle popped her head in. "Now, Rookies! Best is on his way."

The girls jumped up from the bench and ran out, hurrying to their seats without looking at anyone. Sam was disappointed; he usually got a small smile or a wave from his partner but today she was deep in thought. He couldn't help but wonder what Callaghan had done now. He had seen Andy come in this morning and she had seemed to be in a decent mood so he was anticipating a good day. But then Callaghan had called her into his office and she had come out a totally different person. Why she put up with him, Sam would never know.

He continued to watch Andy, barely registering anything that Best was saying. She was clearly upset about something and he knew she was over thinking it; he could only hope that it was how to break it off with the golden boy. He smiled at the thought.

The second Frank was finished talking, Andy shot out the door. She didn't stop to talk to Sam or make any arrangements; she was just out of there with the frown planted firmly on her face. She headed straight for the locker room, and Sam could only assume that she'd meet him at the car as usual.

Where Andy was angry, Traci was more resigned. She had chosen this for herself and another day sitting at the desk with hours and hours to regret it was getting to her. She really wasn't in a hurry to get her day started, and the anger was slowly creeping up on her again.

Sam knew Traci and Andy were close and since Andy had made herself scarce, he thought maybe he could get an indication from Traci on how his day was going to go. He got more than he bargained for though.

"What's eating McNally?" Sam asked as he fell into step with Traci.

She was too distracted by her own predicament to give much thought as to whether or not she should be having this conversation. "Homicide Luke wants to go to the fishing cabin tomorrow night." Traci complained on Andy's behalf.

"So?" Sam responded. "She's been there before hasn't she?" He knew that only too well, and he wasn't any happier about it this time.

Traci turned on him then, her anger finally manifesting itself and he happened to be the closest target. _What was it with men? Why can't they just get it?_

"She didn't even want to go the first time, what in the **hell** makes you think she wants to go now?" Traci exploded before she could even register what she had said. _Shit._

"What?" Sam practically yelled causing half the division to turn and look. _Swarek's in one of his moods again._

"Nothing…forget I said anything." Traci instructed, running for the women's locker room.

"Nash!" He was definitely yelling this time as he trailed after her.

She wasn't going to let him catch up, though. She knew she blew it but she'd rather suffer Swarek's wrath than Andy's. He wasn't her best friend.

She dove into the locker room like she was about to be attacked. When she came face to face with a perplexed Andy, she realized that she may have jumped from the frying pan into the fire. _How could she explain away this one?_

"Nash! Get out here!" Sam hollered again.

Andy's eyes widened. "Was that Sam?"

"Yeah." Traci confirmed quietly.

"He sounds mad." Andy noted. "What did you do?"

Traci wasn't ready to tell Andy exactly what happened, hoping maybe it would just go away. "I may have said something I shouldn't have."

"Traci, I have to work with the man all day." Andy grumbled.

Traci just realized the ramifications of that. _Crap, he was not going to let it go. And if he doesn't get it out of me, he would more than likely try to get it out of Andy. _This was not going to go away.

Noelle came up behind Sam. "Stop skulking outside the ladies change room Swarek."

"I need to talk to Nash." He stated simply.

Noelle was surprised by his response; normally he would fire a smart remark right back at her. But his sense of humor seemed to have abandoned him_. He must really be pissed. _

She still enjoyed goading him though. "Well, that's a switch; aren't you usually hoping to find McNally in there?"

"Very funny, Noelle. Now go get Nash for me."

"No can do, Sammy; she's got work to do."

Noelle poked her head in the room and was shocked at the look of panic on Traci's face. _She must have really done something if she was that afraid of Swarek and taking refuge in the locker room._

She saw the relief on Traci's face when she realized it was only her. "Nash let's go; I've got some files I have to go over with you."

"OK. Wait for me." Traci practically begged, jumping for the door.

"I'll meet you out at the front."

"No…I'll walk with you." Traci offered.

"What the hell did you do?"

"You don't want to know."

Noelle let Traci walk beside her and shook her head when Traci shifted to the side farthest away from Sam, shirking away from the glare she got from him.

Andy finished up quickly and could only hope that Sam's mood wasn't that bad as she made her way out of the room. She expected to meet him out at the car, but he had remained just outside the door waiting for her. He didn't look mad, but she couldn't get a read on exactly how he was feeling.

"Let's go." He grumbled.

_It definitely wasn't happy._

The first half hour of the ride was completely quiet aside from some background radio chatter. Sam soon decided that if he wanted to get to the bottom of Traci's confession, it was best to get it from Andy anyway. "Big plans tomorrow night?"

_How did he know? Is that what Traci said to him? Damn her._

"I guess."

"You guess?" Sam couldn't believe it. "Callaghan wants an encore at the Love Shack and all you can do is guess?"

"What do you want me to say, Sam?"

"The truth Andy. You know you're not fooling anyone."

"Fooling anyone?" She had no idea where this conversation came from or where it was going.

Sam spelled it out for her. "I want you to tell me why you don't want to go."

"What?"

"Your friend Nash told me you don't want to go." He explained as he pulled onto a side street and parked.

He turned to her. "But even more importantly, she said you didn't want to go the first time. Is that true?"

_How could she? _

After a long pause, Andy finally answered in barely a whisper. "Yes."

"Then why did you go?" He asked his tone noticeably softer.

"Because it was what it was." She said with a shrug of her shoulders.

Sam had already regretted those words more than once and he really didn't want to do it again, but he had to know. "What do you mean?"

She looked out the window as she replayed the memory.

"When I came back to work that day, I was trying to figure out how to tell Luke I didn't want to go. I had spent the whole week thinking about that night. It just didn't feel right to go with him, when I was starting to feel things for you." She explained, taking a quick glance at Sam from the corner of her eye.

"But you still went."

"I didn't have any reason not to."

"But you just said…"

"When I finally had the chance to tell Luke that I didn't want to go, you had already told me 'it was what it was'. It hurt more than it probably should have, and I was even more confused. Even though you wanted nothing to do with me, I still didn't think I wanted to go. But when I tried to tell Luke, he told me that you said I was all his. I knew then that it didn't matter what I was feeling; because you weren't feeling it too. So I decided to give Luke another chance."

"I only said you were all his because he said it was your idea to go. I thought that you had made your choice and it wasn't me."

"Technically, it was my idea" She held up her hand when Sam tried to interrupt. "But we hadn't talked about it since we first got together and I had said offhand that it would be fun. I definitely did not choose that day to go; that was the last thing on my mind. I actually spent most of the night out on the steps looking at the water, trying to figure out what I felt for Luke and mourning the loss of what I never had with you."

Sam watched Andy gaze out the window as if she was back on the steps. It made him sad to think how one thoughtless sentence had just snowballed. "I was hurt when Callaghan said that you **wanted** to go to the cabin. I thought that night meant nothing to you, that maybe I was just a warm body to make you forget. I thought you must have regretted it so I said that to protect myself and let you off the hook."

"Sam, you could never be just that to me." She assured him, as she reached out to cover his hand with hers. "You are always there for me and I knew that the only person who could make me feel better that night was you. I knew it was against the rules, but I was so lost and I needed someone to help me find myself and you were the only one I wanted. I can't count on a lot of people Sam, but I have always counted on you and you don't let me down."

"Clearly I did that time."

"You were hurt."

"It did hurt Andy, more than it probably should have." He admitted, echoing her previous words. "But that's because I was feeling things for you too, way more than I know I should have and it clouded my judgment both days. As your Training Officer, I should have turned you away, but I couldn't. You meant so much to me…mean so much to me. God, why are you still with him Andy? You know you can't count on him."

"I really don't know, Sam. Mainly because he's safe I guess; because I know he can't hurt me. You and I weren't even really together, yet when you distanced yourself it hurt…more than you know. I guess I'm just scared to open myself up to that. I do like Luke, and my feelings for him don't scare me."

"If you're not scared, why don't you want to go this time?"

"I think because it reminds me that that's all it is. I like Luke, and it's safe. But going away for the weekend means something or at least it should mean something, and I should be excited but I'm not. It just makes me think that maybe I'm fooling myself."

She looked like she wanted to say more and Sam could tell. "And?"

"And it reminds me of the last time. It dredges up all those memories and I have trouble denying that the same reason isn't still there."

Sam felt his pulse race. "That you have feelings for me?"

She nodded her head answering in nearly a whisper. "Yes."

"Then don't go with him...and not just to the fishing cabin. Don't go with him anywhere Andy." Sam knew he was practically begging, but he didn't care. "I feel it too."

"You've been pretty good at hiding it."

"Because I thought **he** was what you wanted. I thought you were happy and I love you enough to want that for you. If I had known that you weren't, I would have put up more of a fight and I sure as hell would have stopped pushing you back to him."

Andy was completely dumbfounded, and all she could do was stare blankly back at Sam. He looked over at her and was surprised at the complete shock on her face. He thought back over what he just said wondering why she looked at him that way.

…_I love you enough to want that for you. _They would have to go into that later; right now there were more important matters to take care of.

"We're going back to the station for lunch and you're going to tell Callaghan." He declared, breaking her out of her trance.

"Tell him what?" Andy asked, the panic apparent in her voice.

"That you don't want to go...that you can't see him anymore."

"What?"

"Andy, you don't love him."

She knew it was true, and he could see it in her eyes. "Do you think you can ever love him?"

She knew she couldn't, he could never make it past Sam. She shook her head. "No."

"Then you have to do it. It's not fair to you, it's not fair to me and even though I've never been a fan, it's not fair to Callaghan either. Especially if he thinks that there's a chance for something more. If you don't see a future with Luke, you have to let go. It's never going to be what you want it to be. Safe isn't enough for a lifetime."

"I know."

"But Andy…Andy." He repeated, waiting for her to look at him. "What we could have just might be. I can make you happy, Andy. You just need to let me."

"Sam I don't want to get hurt again."

"Andy, I'm sorry but I can't guarantee that you won't; I can't even guarantee that to myself. But I can guarantee that I will never do it on purpose, and you have to know that I'm just as scared of getting hurt as you are. But I think it's worth taking that chance. You're worth taking that chance."

She looked at Sam and knew he was right. She didn't love Luke, and as scared as she was about being hurt, she was more scared of living life without Sam.

She nodded.

Sam let out the breath he didn't know he had been holding. He couldn't wait for lunch to get here and for Andy to be free; he finally had a shot at getting everything he had hoped for. When he spoke to Traci that morning he would never have guessed that this was how his day was going to go.

The rest of the morning seemed to drag on as they only had to handle a few minor traffic incidents. When it was finally noon, they made their way back to the station and Andy went straight to Luke's office to talk to him.

Sam watched the door close behind her and decided that he wanted to talk to Traci; he needed to thank her.

Traci had just finished a call when she looked up and saw Sam walking determinedly towards her. She looked around and Andy was nowhere to be found. _Shit._ _What was she going to do if Andy refused to talk to Sam? They could have been fighting all morning. And now Sam looked like he really wanted to talk to **her**, but she really couldn't tell him anymore; she'd already done enough by breaking Andy's confidence the first time. _

She weighed her options. Was it better to run and hide and hope he and Andy could work it out on their own? But what if he followed her? Maybe it was better to face the music and take advantage of the fact that there would be witnesses out front. _He wouldn't do anything in front of everyone…would he?_

Sam approached Traci and she stood her ground, trusting that he wouldn't air Andy's dirty laundry in front of anyone else.

"Hey, Sam." She said, internally cursing the crack in her voice.

"Nash, can I talk to you for a minute…in private."

A couple of officers at nearby desks raised their eyebrows thinking it no doubt had to do with McNally.

"I can't really leave the front." She refused.

Her partner at the desk was about to tell her she could go, when Traci shot him a look. She clearly did not want to go with Swarek and the officer got the message loud and clear. He immediately put his head down and went back to work.

"Are you sure you want to do this here?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

_I really hope so_. "Yep."

"OK."

Sam smiled and held out his hand for her to shake. She looked down at it in confusion but then reached out to take it. Clearly he was not as angry as he was before and if he was extending the olive branch, she wasn't about to refuse. _I will definitely be asking Andy how this happened._

As Sam grasped her hand, he pulled her into an awkward hug. _What the hell?_

"Thank you." He whispered into her ear before quickly releasing her; even this small show of emotion at the station was totally out of character for him and he had already drawn enough attention to himself.

"For what?" She asked.

Sam turned Traci around to face the back and whispered. "Her."

Andy had just come out of Luke's office looking a little worse for wear but with a definite weight off her shoulders. Traci watched as the sadness completely disappeared from her eyes the second they met Sam's.

"Did she just..."

"Yeah."

"Damn."

Andy walked towards her best friend and her partner feeling so much lighter. They moved forward to meet her and get away from prying ears.

"How'd it go?" Sam asked, his voice full of concern.

"Not really well; I kind of took him by surprise." She admitted guiltily. "I felt terrible, but it just confirmed to me that I did the right thing. I really didn't mean to, but I was leading him on. And you're right; it wasn't fair to do that anymore. I think it's going to be pretty uncomfortable for quite awhile."

Sam just nodded his head in understanding. As much as he didn't like Luke, he felt bad for him. He knew he was missing out on something great.

Andy turned to Traci and dropped her chin. "And you…"

Traci looked sheepish. "I'm sorry, Andy. I was having a really bad morning and it just came out. I really didn't mean to say anything."

Before she could go any further, Andy stopped her with another hug. "It's ok Traci. Turns out it was the best thing that's ever happened to us."

"Us?" Traci teased.

Andy grinned and nodded. There was definitely an 'us'.

Traci smiled. She had not seen her friend this happy in a long time and she had never seen Swarek so content. She watched them walk away together and had a feeling she would be seeing that picture for a long time to come.

_Andy did it_. She thought. _Granted she had a little push, but still she did it…and she was so much happier._

Traci couldn't help but hope that maybe, just maybe, it was the push that she needed too.


End file.
